Electrical bond for railway-rails.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. LINCOLN, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ELECTRICAL BOND FOR RAILWAY-RAILS.

Application Med February 25, 1916.

To (LU whom 'it muy concern Be it known that I, JonN C. LINcoLN, a

citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at, Cleveland, in the county of (uya hoga and State of Ohio, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Bonds for Railway-Rails, of which the following,r is a specification.

My invention relates to improvementsI in electrica] bonds for railway rails, and has for its object thel provision of a cheap. simple andreadil attaehahle hond adapted to insure, the maximum electrical conductivity het wcen abutting' rail ends.

The devieeof mv invention comprises a plurality of metallic. laminzc. which pret'- eralol) are strips ot' copper snperposed upon one another, and held lirmly united hy a three-sided o1' approximately U-shaped clamp, embracing each end of the metmllic laminar. and ali'ording an extended hastor footing for augmenting the contact surl'aw` o'l the hond.

My invention will he lmore readily under-A stood h v making reference to the accom-` panying drawings, wherein -v l"i;rnre l is a View in vertical section ol' a rail joint with the attached 4hond fused or cast-\\'elded' upon the head thereof.

["ig. 2 is an end view ol' the partei-rial type ot' tcrn'iinal clamp.

Fig. It is a vien' in side. elevation ot' the hond. l

lfil'. yl is a rieu in side elevation of a rail joint bonded with my improved hond. and

Fig. 5 isa top vien' oi a similar rail joint with they hond hrazed or otherwise secured thereon.

rl`hron, rhont the. .several ignres ol' the drawings. l have employed the same ehar acier oi' rele-renee to indicate similar parts.

Figs. and I show the essentials ol' my improved rail hond. which comprises a plurality ol' coppeLsLr-jpa n. of substantially eren widtli. lient into U-sliape. and united hy means ol'- terminal clamps l. l). These. clamps are three-sided and have vextended hases or footings li. at thel extremities of their side arms. which arms are of such length as to hring their hases llnsh with the rear edges of the copper lamimn a; Tn other words. the terminal clamps are approximately,U-shapel in c1ossseet.ion, and respectively aiford recesses between the side Speetcation of Letters Pat-ent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Serial No. 80,384.

`wise therein.

These terminal clamps are of such ga e, thatI the sides thereof may be compressed y "a suitalole punch` as at b", whereby the terminals of the lamina@ are closely gripped and held by the side arms of the clamps, while-leaving the rear edges of the lamime free` to be brought into contact with the respectire rail ends.

lu practice these rail bonds are constructed in pairs; being wound from a Single strip ol' eoiper upon a mandrel, ap roXimately of fattencd O-shape, intermedriately clamped by three-sidcd clamps, such as herein shown. and then sawed in two, thus forn1- ing two of such rail bonds. These bonds are thusl formed from superposed and terminally clamped but otherwise unconnected Iamina. so that the expense of welding or .soldering the terminals is obviated by the tirn|l \Y gripping U-shaped members.

lret'erahly, these rail bonds are united t0 thei rails` hy clampingr them in the position Ashown in Figs. 1. 4 and 5. whereupon suitalile means 'for fusing the upper portions of the terminals, such as an electrical are ol' acetylene flame are applied to the terminals ol the hond. and if desired, additional matcrial e, may he fused upon the terminals and upon the rail ends. so as to augment the contact surfaces or heads. as re aired. This operation maiv liest he prin-tiset as set forth in nl v patent application. Serial Number THILSIHZ. August t), tutti. (Patent Number LlSLJHQ) 1 hut forming no part of mv present invention. it does not require further explanation herein.

lt. is also apparent that the terminals and lamime of my improved hond may be solwithout this adjunct, and is 'assumedto be brazed, soldered or otherwise secured directly tothe rail ends. i

In addition to the lateral punchings b, I preferably sub'eet each terminal clamp t0 a .transverse rental punching operation. 'Thievdriyea the metal of ythe clam at d, d, edgewise into aroximately all) of the lamin,.and y mcintcinsthe entity of the bonVexeeptm-lder stress of a heavy bium as---^well as :imgmenting the conductivit somewhat between the members -of the evice.

Having 110W described the preferred ernbodiment of my invention, I claim as new, and desire to' seeilre by Letters Patent, the following?- 1. Inia'l electrical bond vfor rails, the com lginatienwith a plurality of metallic laminse, su sed one upon another and tea14 minall gripped but otherwise ncon'nectcd,

. of U-s aped'terminals gripping said lamn at their ends; said `terminals'having sides substantially the width of the laminas, und expanded bases, whereby enlarged Contact surfaces, abutting the rails, are atorded, substantiali as orth.

2. Agrai hond for electrically uniting railway riils,'comprising awplnmlity of superposcd` copper strips bont nppro'ixinctely to Ushape, und terminally gripped but otherwise nncomln-,eterlj and three snh'd .clampsrespecivcly gripping and embracing thc' 'tcrrninals of said copper strips, but leavlng'thelr rcnr faces free or exposed,

`whereby SaidK strips .may more rrmlilv be individually. unitedy directly with theu rail ends, snbStn-ntinlly ils srl. forth.

3, A rali] bond for railway rnilsLrornpris ing superposer] and terminallygripped het,

.otherwise uneonnerlrd ropper lamina und severing terminals embracing said lnniinre ni their ends, upon three sides` only, whereby they muy more readily he united ,inilivid nelly with the `rail ends; said` terminals haying expanded hasn portions: also adapted to he united with the rail ends, for` nli'ouling neem-1o extended contact surfaces, substantiallyn als1 set forth.

4. A rail bond for railway rails, com rising snperposed. and terminally gripp but otherwise unconnected copper strips of even width, 'and terminal clamps of heavy gage metal gripping said strips in position to e engaged and make edgewise contact with 'the rail ends; said terminal clamps cmbrac ing the strips upon three sides only, and forcibl clamped about and uniting the ends of sai strips, substantially ns set forth.I

5. A rail .hond for electrically uniting railway rails, comprising a. plurality of snperposed and terminali gripped but otherL wise unconnected meta lic laminar, and torminal metallic clamps respectively moimtcd upon seid lminas; punched t0 upset the metal thereof and ein `tend 'edgewise inte the bodies of the lamina?, substantially asset forth.

G. A rail bond for railway rails, comprisin f snperposed "und telni'lnllly gripped but ot erwise unconnected, copper lamina: and metallic lelmina-ls cillin-:wing said llllninzr at their ends upon Lin-ue sidosg said tei-ini mds being frontnlly punctual lo force Illu bodies thereof origen-isc into the laminar for securing the nrnihrrs firmly together, substantially as Set forth.

7. An electric rail hond, comprising Superposrd and terminally rhnnped but otherwise unconnected copper lamiere, and metah lic terminals of relatively heavy gage embraring said lamine; nl, their ends in direct engagement willi tin-ir edges frontdly, Said terminals lie-ing lrnnsrersely mnehed frhtally tu force the res-prelivr odios thereof into substantially all of the lmninn: for sie curing them rigidly together, substantially ne srl forth.

H. A ruil hond for railway mils eolilprising n plurality of nwlnlle laminas ang] lermnnls thon-lor; said luminec .being sper posed and firmly clamped together by sai terminals init otherwise unconnected; siti terminals onlin-:icing said supcrposcd lam inne on thrresidos, leaving one side, vomA prisi'ng the edges of thr laminar, exposed for attaching4 In thc mils. so lhnt lhe lfnninn nnly he m|i\ ixlnnlly nnlrcl llirrrtlywitlt the rnil owls. Jilisenlinlly. :ls sul. fol'lll.

ln testimony iwi-rol' l :lo now nllixnly siunnlurr in ihr presi-nviul' two nitiwsses. JOHN LltOLN. Ins] ll'ilnoslfsos;

Fna me ltnnneicv .hlm-:wr lA'NS' lian'ln-zxm.;

said 'clumps being 

